Many consumers appreciate the tactile characteristics imparted to fabrics by modern fabric softener products. However, as convenient as the present forms of fabric softener dispensing are, there is still room for improvement. For instance, liquid fabric softeners generally must be added to the wash at a particular point during the washing cycle, and direct application to the clothes generally should be avoided. Another form of fabric softener is the dryer sheet which is a sheet impregnated with fabric softener which can be tossed into the dryer. However, one problem attendant to use of this form of fabric softener is the fact that the used sheet generally must be disposed of.
It has been proposed to dispense fabric softener and other laundry products using a ball which is tossed into the dryer or another laundry apparatus.
Birllaud et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,706,140 is directed to a dispenser which is an open celled housing or vessel forming a chamber permeable to ingress and egress of fluids to permit dispensing of such fluids from the chamber into a desired environment. A means is mounted in or on the vessel for loading and holding of materials to be dissolved or volatilized and for passing the dissolved substance or the resulting gas to the chamber for dispensing or escape through the permeable walls of the vessel.
The ""140 dispenser is said to be particularly adapted for use in either home dryers or commercial laundry dryers which will permit scenting, deodorizing, water-proofing, germ-proofing or disinfecting of laundered items. Treating materials which have properties adapting them to volatilize at a point at which the temperature of the laundered items passed to the elevated temperature of the ambient heating medium can be used to perfume, disinfect, moth proof and to waterproof the laundered items or to coat them with anti-microbiological substance or apply a variety of other treatments. The treating material or protective carrier will melt or degrade when a critical temperature is reached.
The ""140 dispenser includes a generally spherical housing. The sphere may include a basket portion. The spherical housing may be made of stainless steel sheeting or plastics, such as fluorocarbon resins, polypropylenes, polystyrenes, etc. The spherical housing is provided with a plurality of spaced openings. The spherical housing may be provided with a plurality of indented sections which serve to strengthen the relatively thin walls. A hinged closure is disclosed. The basket element has perforations in the order of 30 gauge mesh.
The Procter and Gamble has sold prior to the invention of the present invention a product called the Downy ball.
Other patents disclosing fabric softener or other devices include Bolan et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,304,562, Anderson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,966,831, Furgal et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,105, Sachs, U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,722, Cobb, U.S. Pat. No. 2,941,309 Cornette et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,872, Falivene, U.S. Pat. No. 4,057,673, Kunzel et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,183,981, Roy, U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,311, Rennie, U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,675, Davies, U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,719, Vesborg, U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,726 and D""Hoogue et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,600.
The present invention is directed to the discovery of a new dispenser for laundry products, particularly for fabric softener products to be used in the dryer. In a first embodiment, the dispenser comprises a hollow ball having a plurality of product dispensing openings and a further product ingress opening for placing product in the ball. A measuring cup to hold product is accessed from the product ingress opening.
In accordance with one preferred embodiment, the measuring cup includes only a single opening in its side wall for releasing product from the cup and into the hollow sphere. One or more closures are associated with the dispenser and prevent the liquid from exiting through the product ingress opening from the interior of the cup to the exterior of the ball. This confines the product, once it has been filled into the cup, and limits its route of egress to the single hole in the side wall of the cup. After travelling through the small hole in the cup, the product can then be dispensed to the exterior of the hollow ball through the product dispensing openings and thus onto product. Use of a single hole in the cup can be expected to be advantageous in that a partial vacuum can be created in the cup whereby exit of product through the hole will be impeded so that product is not dispensed too quickly.
The hollow ball is preferably a manually squeezable plastic such as polyurethane. The product dispensing openings in the hollow ball are preferably small, preferably no more than 0.25 inches in diameter and most preferably within the range of 0.05 inches to 0.25 inches up to 0.05 inches in diameter. The cup is preferably friction fitted within the squeezeable plastic of the ball.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment, both the hollow ball and the cup are sufficiently translucent, especially transparent, to permit viewing of product levels within the cup by the consumer from the exterior of the dispenser when the dispenser is closed.
The dispenser preferably is comprised of materials having melting points no less than 180xc2x0 F., preferably no less than 200xc2x0 F., to permit it to survive intact the elevated temperatures of the dryer and is usable for multiple uses, e.g., 100 times or more.
In another embodiment, the cup includes more than the single hole in the cup walls. In this embodiment the cup contains a fabric softening product which is liquid at 78xc2x0 F.
In a further embodiment, the cup may include a single hole or a plurality of holes and the hollow ball has associated therewith fabric on the outside surface to assist in evenly dispensing product.
In an alternative embodiment, the cup includes a single hole or a plurality of holes and the outside of the hollow ball includes a plurality of wells to assist in dispensing of product. In this embodiment the product can be xe2x80x9cprintedxe2x80x9d onto the clothing.
The closure may be, for example, screwed onto the hollow ball and/or associated with the hollow ball by means of a hinge or other structures. However, in accordance with a still further embodiment of the invention, the dispenser includes a duck bill valve sealingly mounted within the measuring cup. Product can be pumped into the dispenser through the duck bill valve, in which case, the closure may be omitted if desired. The duck bill valve will be sealingly mounted within the measuring cup so that the product within the cup will be confined thereto (except for any openings in the walls of the cup leading to the interior of the hollow ball).
The one or more openings in the cup of the present invention will generally be of a relatively small size, particularly from 0.025 inches to 0.250 inches.
Where the duck bill valve is used, it will generally form a part of a plug which can be sealed to the dispenser, eg. by sonic welding. The plug can be sealed either to the hollow ball or to the cup.
If so desired, the cup may include indicia for guiding the consumer to add sufficient product for the desired treatment.
In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention, the area of the closure on the hollow ball is recessed and is protected by a ridge of plastic formed in the hollow ball. Since the closure will often be fabricated from a harder material than the hollow ball, the ridge will minimize contact of the closure with objects, such as the interior of the dryer. This will minimize damage to the closure and to the dryer interior and also decrease the noise which might otherwise be generated by collisions between the hard-surfaced closure and the hard-surfaced dryer or other washing apparatus.
For a more complete understanding of the above and other features and advantages of the invention, reference should be made to the following Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments and to the accompanying drawings.